Fluid compressor



Sept- 24, 1957 a. KRzYszczuK 2,807,217

FLUID coMPREssoR Filed Sept. 16, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l I N V EN TOR. /4 :am-48D ,cezxszczz/K Sept.' 24, 1957 E. KRzYszczuK FLUID 'coMPREssoR 2 sneets-she'z 2 Filed Sept. 16, 1955 United tates Patent FLUID COMPRESSOR i Edward Krzyszczuk, Chicago, Eli.

Application September 16, 1955, Serial No. 534,743

4 Claims. (Cl. 103-103) This invention relates to fiuid pressure converting devices, and more particularly to an improved fiuid pressure converter which may be employed either as a compressor or turbine.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device for convertng fiuid pressure, said device being relatively simple in construction, providing an efficient conversion of the energy applied thereto, and being suitable for a large number of applications, for example, for use as a gas compressor, for use as a power plant, or for use as a pump.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved fiuid compressor of the centrifugal type, said compressor using relatively inexpensive components, involving relatively few parts, being sturdy in construction, being reliable in operation, and having high operating efiiciency.

Further objects and advantages of the inventon will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, Wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevational view, partly in cross section, of the basic elements of a centrifugal compressor constructed in accordance with the present invention, said view being taken from the stator side of the compressor assembly;

Figure 2 is a top view, partly in horizontal cross section, of the basic compressor assembly of Figure 1, said view being taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional detail view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional detail view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure l3; and

Figure 7vis a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken longitudinally through a modified form of centrifugal compressor construction in accordance with the present invention.

Refeirring t-o the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved fiuid compressor assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention, said assembly being shown without its main housing and without the supporting bearing means for its driving shaft, shown at 12, except for the end bearing assembly 13 for the shaft 12, shown in Figures 1 and 2. The compressor assembly comprises a stator member 14, consisting of a generally Vcylindrical peripheral member 15 in which is secured an annular concave housing 16, said housing having secured to its inner periphery a cylindrical sleeve 17 in which the outer race of the bearing assembly 13 is secured, as clearly shown in Figure 2. A cover disk 18 is secured to the lower end of the inner sleeve 171, as viewed in Figure 2, providing a seal therefor, and covering the ends of the driving shaft 12.

Designated at 19 is an annular concave rotor housing which is secured on shaft 12 and which is disposed periphice erally adjacent to and facing the stator housing 16, the rotor housing 19 being slightly larger in diameter than the peripheral cylindrical member 15, as is shown in Figure 2, providng an annular exhaust space 20 between the depending peripheral fiange 21 =of housing 19, shown in Figure 2, and the cylindrical wall 15 of the stator.

Secured in the rotor housing 19 are a plurality of radial, evenly spaced, oblique, generally semicircular vanes 22 spaced in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 3 said vanes 22 being inclined at the same angles with respect to respective longitudinal radial planes containing their diameters. Each vane 22 is formed with a generally semicircular notch 23 at the intermediate portion of its diametrical edge 24, as is clearly shown in Figure 1.

Thus, the successive vanes 22 define respective oblique radial impeller chambers in the rotor housing, said chambers being exposed for free discharge at their respective peripheral spaces 20 communicating with said chambers and defined by the depending peripheral flange 21 and the cylindrical wall 15, as above explained.

Secured in the annular stator housing 16 facing the impeller chambers, designated at 25, are the respective radially spaced hollow, radial, oblique vanes 26, said hollow vanes 26 being of any suitable shape and being spaced apart by any suitable distances. As shown in Figure 3, the hollow vanes 26 are inclined at suitable angles with respect to l'ongitudinal radial planes containing the diameters. J

As shown in Figure 4, the hollow vanes 26 comprise converging wall elements 27, 27 which are respectively formed with opposing nozzle wall elements 28, 28 to define a fiuid discharge nozzle 29 at the lintermediate portion of each hollow vane 26, the nozzle passage 29 being constricted at its intermediate portion, as shown at 30, Whereby each nozzle passage 29 defines a Venturi element directed toward a respective impeller chamber 25 of the rotor housing 19, as shown in Figure 3.

Thus, the Venturi passages 29 are directed to the rotor vanes 22 and are located adjacent the intermediate notches 23 of the respective rotor vanes.

A suitable source of fiuid, such as gas, is connected by means (not shown) to the stator shell 15, whereby this gas passes through the stator housing 16 by way of the Venturi nozzle passages 29. The rotor housing 19 is rotated by a suitable driving means connected to the shaft 12, the gas from the nozzles 30 being discharged into the respective impeller housings 25 and being immediately redirected into the spaces 32 defined between the adjacent hollow stator vanes 26, as shown in Figure 3. The movement of the rotor vanes relative to the stator vanes produces a certain amount of compression of the fiuid, whereby the fiuid flows from the spaces 32 into the next adjacent spaces 25 of the rotor housing and is again redirected to the next adjacent spaces 32 of the stator housing. Thus, as the rotor housing 19 revolves, the fiuid from the Venturi nozzle passages 29 is successively recirculated between the impeller spaces 25 and the stator spaces 32, the pressure of the fiuid being gradually increased by the 'continued movement of the fiuid and by the fact that as the pressure of the fiuid increases its mass increases, whereby centrifugal force acts on the fiuid and urges it 'outwardly against the concave internal wall Surface of the annular rotor housing 19, the pressure building up until it becomes a maximum adjacent to the annular discharge passage 20 at the periphery of the rotor.

The compressed gas discharging from the annular passage 920 is conveyed by suitable conduit means (not shown) to its ntended point of application, said conduit means being conventional per se and being therefore n'ot descrbed or illustrated herein.

The semicircular notches 23 provide proper clearance for the fluid discharging from the nozzle passages 29 as well as for the recirculation of the fluid from the chambers 25 and 32, toward and from each other in alternating sequence, as above described.

Thus, the fluid emerging from a given Venturi passage 29 may circulate back and forth between the impeller chambers 25' and 32 of the rotor housing 19 and stator housingl 16 a c'onsiderable number of times while its pressure is being built up, the energy required to recirculate the fluid and to build up its pressure being applied by the power source driving shaft 12. Obviously, the degree of pressure intensification will depend upon a number of factors, including the design of the Venturi passages 29, the spacng between the rotor and stator vanes, the speed 'of rotation of the shaft 12, the properties of the gas being compresed, and the like. An additional factor involved in determining the maximum intensification of the fluid pressure obtained is the size of the annular exhaust passage 20 through which the compressed fluid discharges from the compressor device.

Obviously, the device above described as a compressor may be employed as a turbine to drive the shaft 12 by admitting fluid under pressure through the passage 20 by suitable nozzles, not shown, whereby the fluid discharges into the impeller chambers 25 and is then recirculated back and forth between chambers. 25 Vand the stator chambers 32 until the fiuid exhausts from the device through passages 29, the kinetic energy of the fluid being transferred to the rotor 19 and thus to the driven shaft 12.

By providing the constricted intermediate portions 30 in the nozzle passages 29, a Venturi effect is obtained, whereby the fluid entering the nozzle passages 29V and discharging therefrom into the impeller chambers 25 is increased in Velocity due to the expansion of the fiuid as it passes the constricted intermediate portions 30 of the nozzle passages.

As shown in Figure 7, a stationary outer housing 40 may be provided around the assembly, said outer housing extending adjacent to but being spaced from the rotary member 19 to define a clearance space 41. Discharge ducts 20' may be provided in said 'outer housing for discharging fluid from the device, corresponding to the annular discharge passage 20 of the previously described form of the invention, said discharge ducts 20' being in communication with the interior 'of the stator portion of the assembly. The outer housing 40 thus forms the annular wall of the stator portion of the assembly, as well as an enclosure for the rotor 19.

While a specific embodiment of an improved fluid converter device has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modificati'ons within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid Converter comprising an annular concave stationary housing, anV annular concave rotor housing adjacent to, facing, and coaxial with said stationary housing, an axial shaft connected to said rotor housing, a plurality of regularly spaced, oblique vanes inclined at equal angles to radial planes and secured in said rotor housing, defining oblique impeller chambers spaced around said rotor housing, said rotor housing being larger in radius than said stationary housing, whereby said impeller chambers are exposed adjacent the periphery of said stationary housing, a plurality of oblique hollow vanes in said stationary housing inolined in the same manner as and spaced from said first-named vanes, and fluid nozzle passages formed in the respective hollow vanes facing said rotor housing and being directed substantially parallel to said first-named vanes.

2. A fiuid converter comprising an annular eoncave stationary housing, an annular concave rotor housing adjacent to, facing, and coaxial with said stationary housing, an axial shaft connected to said rotor housing, a plurality of oblique, regularly spaced vanes inclined at equal angles to radial planes and secured in said rotor housing defining oblique impeller chambers spaced around said rotor housing, said rotor housing being larger in radius than said stationary housing, whereby said impeller chambers are exposed adjacent the periphery of said stationary housing, a plurality of oblique hollow vanes in said stati'onary housing inclined in the same manner as and spaced from said firs't-named vanes, and fluid nozzle passages formed in the intermediate portions of the respective hollow vanes vfacing said rotor housing and being directed substantially parallel to said first-named vanes, said nozzle passages being relatively constricted at portions thereof.

3. A fluid converter comprising an annular concave stationary housing, an annular concave rotor housing adjacent to, facing and coaXial with said stationary; housing, an axial shaft connected to said rotor housing, a plurality of regularly spaced, oblique vanes inolined at equal angles to radial planes and secured in said rotor housing defining oblique impeller chambers spaced around said rotor housing, said vanes being formed with notches at the intermediate portions 'of their diametrical edges, said rotor housing being larger in radius than said stationary housing, whereby said impeller chambers are eX- posed adjacent the periphery of said stationary housing to define a fluid discharge Outlet, a plurality of oblique hollow vanes in said stationary housing inolined in the same manner as and spaced from said first-named vanes, and uid nozzle passages formed in the intermediate portions of the respective hollow vanes, facing said rotor housing and opening adjacent said notches.

4. A fiuid Converter comprising an annular concave stationary housing, an annular concave rotor housing adjacent to, 'facing and coaxial with said stationary housing, an axial shaft connected to said rotor housing,l a plurality of regularly spaced, oblique vanes inolined at equal angles to radial planes and secured in said rotor housing defining oblique impeller chambers spaced around said rotor housing, said vanes being formed with notches at the intermediate portions of their diametrical edges, said rotor housing being larger in radius than said stationary housing and being provided with a peripheral fiange spaced from and extending adjacent the peripheral wall of said stationary housing to define a fluid discharge outlet adjacent the periphery of said stationary housing, a plurality of oblique, hollow vanes in said stationary housing inolined in the same manner as and extending substantially parallel to said first-named vanes, and fiuid nozzle passages formed in the intermediate portions of the respective h'ollowvanes facing said rotor housing,y opening adjacent said notches, and being directed substantially parallel to said first-named vanes, said nozzle passages being relatively constricted at portions thereof to define Venturis, whereby fiuid entering the device through said nozzle passages discharges from said nozzle passages into said radial impeller chambers with increased Velocity.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,156,040 Duifield Apr. 25, 1937 2,423,634 Berliner July 8, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 443,613 Italy Dec. 29, 1948 

